


Council of Blood

by SandyRook77



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Becca and Alie are twin sisters, F/F, F/M, M/M, Nightblood - Freeform, it's not that kind of a/b/o, original story that follows some of canon, there's more than one Flame, yes I know not everyone likes original characters dating main characters but give it a shot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-04
Updated: 2019-09-14
Packaged: 2019-10-22 11:30:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 18,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17661752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SandyRook77/pseuds/SandyRook77
Summary: What if Becca had a twin sister named Alie? Both scientists that worked on the Nightblood serum. What if Becca created more than one Flame? What if Alie was on the Ark and received a pair of Flames? This is a story where Becca went down to Earth with the Flame and gave a pair to Alie and her mate. Both societies receive the Nightblood serum and utilize the Flames because Becca and Alie wanted to see which version worked better. A single ruler versus a dual leadership. 97 years later, this is what I think might happen.Clarke and the gang, twelve of them, are born with the serum. It's the largest group the Ark has ever seen. As they tackle growing up, they discover that their blood has done more to them than anyone could have guessed. With new discoveries, comes new responsibilities. Clarke and Tennyson, as pack leaders, have hard choices to make and find themselves going up against the Chancellor and Council.They will be tested, both on the Ark and on the Ground. Will they survive or will they fall?I know this summary sucks, but give it a chance.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> You'll have to forgive me, but this is one of the many stories that have been bouncing around my head since encountering writers block on my other stories. It's my attempt at writing a/b/o and I'm keeping it decent and not to far out there, I hope. Yes, this is another story with an original character that plays a major part of the storyline, but please give it a shot anyways. It's a work in progress and any feedback is always welcome.
> 
> Forwarning, there's going to be time jumps in at least the first ten chapters because I'm starting the characters young and I don't want to bore you with all that kind of stuff. For those that do take the time to read this, thank you in advance.

Ninety-seven years ago, the Earth, as we knew it, ended in a wave of fire, killing everything in its path. There were survivors. Those that fled into space among thirteen space stations and those that buried themselves in bunkers. An Artificial Intelligence had broken through protective firewalls and sent nuclear weapons across the Earth in order to save mankind, killing 6.5 billion people in the process. It thought that it had done the right thing. After all, mankind was its own worst enemy. History had proven it time and time again.  


The AI’s creator became determined to fix and atone for her creation. Her mistake. After two years of research and experimenting, she had finally figured out where she had gone wrong. The goal had been right, but it had been the path that was wrongfully chosen. As smart as an AI could be, there was no way to teach a machine how to be a human. For that was all it really was, a machine. A machine could not feel. Could not look beyond facts. Could not see the inherent strength and desire that pushed mankind to reach above and beyond what was in front of them. History had proven that when push came to shove, mankind would find a way to prevail.  


This, the creator knew. What she had wanted to teach the AI and the only way for it to work was to meld the AI with the human mind. The mind was a complex machine in its own right. Able to make instant decisions quicker than the fastest manmade machine. Able to weigh the pros and cons to do what was right. Or at least what it thought was right. Able to see the forest as well as the trees. To feel. To learn. To teach.

It was right there. The answer was there in front of her and she took it. She and her sister created a serum that allowed the human body to metabolize radiation at a much more successful rate. To withstand higher radiation levels. The new AI created is meant to integrate with the human mind. Creating a symbiotic bond between both to the betterment of mankind. At least, that is what she hopes. That is what she theorizes and now was the time to put it into practice.

She created two sets of the new AI. A single chip, for a single person, to be passed down carrying the knowledge of those who had been chosen to carry it. This allowed each person to build on the experiences of the past and perhaps avoid creating similar mistakes in the future. The other set was a pair. The purpose was the same, but instead, the responsibility would be split between two people. One chip was meant to take in everything and then disseminate the information for the other chip. The other chip would take in the information and then decide the best course of action. The leader while the other served as an advisor. 

This was the experiment. To see which way was better. To have a single entity or two. Only time would tell and there were only two places for this to happen. The creator sent her sister the pair to integrate with those that would live in space until they could return. She would return to Earth and integrate the single chip with those that had survived in bunkers. The serum was injected into various people and in time, it would spread sporadically into the population and creating a random pooling of those worthy of the chips. Neither sister could have ever imagined that the serum would, in time, create mutations in those born with it. Mutations that created faster, stronger, smarter, intuitive, special humans. Nor could they ever have imagined what would happen ninety-seven years later.

This is that story.


	2. Chapter 1

The little blonde, blue-eyed girl whirled through the small space that made up her home, excited about the day. Her parents tried to corral her into some semblance of peace as the three of them got ready to begin their day, but she was a force to be reckoned with. Jake and Abby Griffin shared a smile as their daughter, Clarke, bounced in place at the dinner table, barely taking a bite of her breakfast before she was off again.

“Clarke, sweetie,” Abby said, beginning to grow exasperated at her daughter’s excitement. “Sit down and finish eating.”

“I can’t, Momma,” Clarke said, grinning wide. “I’m just soo excited.”

“We know you are, Princess,” her father said, chuckling at her enthusiasm. “But you need to finish your breakfast. It’s the most important meal of the day.”

“Yes, Daddy,” she replied and finally sat down to finish her meal.

Jake Griffin had that effect on Clarke. He could get her to toe the line more often than Abby could. It was in his nature being an Omega. Abby on the other hand, as an Alpha, just did not have the patience to put up with that kind of energy. They were both proud of their daughter. Jake just had an easier time making a connection with her.

When breakfast was finally over and all three of them were ready, they left their home and headed towards the section of the Ark that held the classrooms. This was the reason behind Clarke’s excitement. It was her first day and she was eager to get started. To learn. To make friends besides Wells.

When they reached their destination and before Clarke could burst through the door to her classroom, they both reminded her of the rules. That she needed to behave and listen to her teachers. It was important that she did so because she was a Griffin. Both her parents held very important jobs on the Ark and had a reputation to maintain. Abby reminded her to act accordingly. Clarke nodded solemnly and when the Jaha’s appeared with young Wells in tow, she was finally allowed to enter the classroom.

Both sets of parents moved to an adjoining room where they were joined by other parents to watch their children through a one-way mirror. Inside the room, they greeted Abby’s closest friend, Callie Cartwig, and the Sinclair’s.

Callie smiled at Abby and said, “Clarke looks like she’s ready to take on the world, Abby.”

Abby returned the smile, “She does indeed. We could barely get her to eat her breakfast this morning. She was so excited.”

“I wish Tennyson showed that much energy this morning,” Callie said, sighing as she looked over towards her own daughter. “I had to bribe her to get her moving.”

Theolonius frowned at that pronouncement, “Why is that, Ms. Cartwig?”

Callie looked over at him and replied, “It’s the classwork, Chancellor. She finds it too easy. I’ve already spoken with the teachers and they are going to do an assessment to figure out where she is. During the break, she tore through the reading material available for her age and I found her trying to gain access to material meant for someone twice her age. She absorbs information like a sponge and is always looking for more.”

“Raven is in a similar predicament,” Jacapo Sinclair spoke up. “She has started working her way through some of my engineering manuals and has been tinkering non-stop.”

“That is very interesting. Both girls are showing signs of high intelligence,” Theolonius mused. “It seems that they need to be challenged more. I wonder if anyone else has shown such signs.”

The scientist in Abby also thought it was interesting and decided that when she got to her office, she’d look up both girls’ medical history to see if there could be anything there that may give her a reason to investigate them further.

They turned their attention back to the classroom and noticed that Tennyson and Raven were sitting together along with a young boy with shaggy black hair. They spoke quietly amongst themselves and seemed to ignore those around them. It wasn’t until the boy looked up and noticed Clarke and Wells that their attention spread outward. They turned to one another and after a short conversation, Tennyson stood up and approached the pair. She spoke quietly to Clarke and pointed over to Raven and the boy. After a moment, Clarke nodded her head eagerly and stood up to walk over there. Wells stood up to go with her, but Tennyson stopped him with her hand on his shoulder and shook her head. Wells said something the parents couldn’t hear, and Clarke turned back to look at him. Clarke said something, staring hard at Tennyson and she reluctantly took her hand from Wells, allowing him to follow. Tennyson frowned, but followed. Raven and the boy also frowned that Clarke had allowed Wells to join them. This sparked another debate between the parents. Why would they want Clarke but not Wells? What made her special, they all thought to themselves.

The parents didn’t leave to head to their respective offices until the teachers arrived and began the day. Abby headed straight to her office and looked up Tennyson’s and Raven’s records. It took her a moment to find a connection, but when she did, she didn’t know what to do with the information. She dug further. She found that the girls, including Clarke and along with eight other children, all shared the same connection. They were all born with the serum in their system. They were all born with black blood.

Abby leaned back in her chair as she thought about the little she had learned that morning. Tennyson and Raven both showed high intelligence which meant theoretically, all the children with black blood would also be the same. She needed to know the name of the boy who had been with them and find out if he was having the same issues of not being challenged enough academically. Her next question was how they knew that Clarke also shared the same blood. How is it that these children, all from different stations, could tell that they carried the same blood type and that they gravitated to one another? Abby had so many questions in her head and she began to get excited over the thought of finding out exactly what else these children were capable of.

It also dawned on her to worry. Never in the history of the Ark had there been ten children born with black blood at once. Since it first began appearing, the most that had been born in a generation was four and they were all current members of the Council, including herself. What could it mean? She decided she needed to let Jaha know and hope that it wasn’t an omen of something to come.

That evening the Griffins gathered around the dinner table and as they ate dinner, discussed what happened to each of them that day. 

“So, Clarke,” Jake asked. “How was your first day of class?”

“I had so much fun, Daddy,” Clarke said, grinning wide. “I made a bunch of new friends.”

“Oh, really? What else happened today?”

Clarke paused in her eating as she thought about it and then said, “Well, Ten showed me all the neat things that we can do in the classroom. Raven helped me and Wells…”

“Wells and I,” Abby corrected.

Clarke nodded and corrected herself, “She showed us how to make paper airplanes that flew across the classroom and how to make them do loops. Bellamy showed me a book that had pictures of Roman Gods and told me some of the stories.”

“Who’s Ten, honey,” he asked.

“Tennyson,” she replied. “But she likes to be called Ten, like the number. She’s really nice. I like her, but I had to keep reminding her that Wells was my friend too.”

Jake and Abby shared a concerned look and then he asked, “Why did you have to do that?”

Clarke looked guiltily down at her plate and said quietly, “Ten said that Wells wasn’t like us. She said that we were different and needed to stick together.”

“Did she tell you why you were different,” Abby asked, leaning forward.

Clarke shook her head, “No, just that we were. But I told her that just because he was different from us, doesn’t mean that he couldn’t be our friend. That it was wrong and mean. She said sorry to Wells and it’s all better now.”

Jake smiled, “That’s good. You’re right. Just because people are different, it doesn’t mean that you can’t be friends with them. Every friend is supposed to be different because if they were all the same, it wouldn’t be as much fun, would it?”

“No, Daddy,” Clarke said, smiling. 

“So, who’s in your group of friends,” Abby asked, wanting to know if her mental list compared to Clarke’s new friends.

“There’s Ten, Raven, Bellamy, John and Wells,” Clarke answered quickly. “Though John is pretty quiet. He doesn’t like to talk much.”

“Do you know his last name?”

Clarke shook her head negatively, “No, but I didn’t ask.”

Abby nodded and smiled, “That’s okay, sweetie. I’m glad you had a good day at school today.”

Clarke grinned wide again and replied, “I am too. I can’t wait to go tomorrow!”

This made Jake and Abby laugh and the rest of the night went well. As Jake put Clarke to bed, Abby went over to her desk and began making notes about Clarke’s day. Her mind going over the possibilities of what it could all possibly mean. Ten children born within five years of one another and all of them born with black blood. Unprecedented. She knew change was coming, but she couldn’t fathom if it was for the good of the Ark or for ill. Only time would tell, she thought as she sighed and hid her notes. Jake wouldn’t like the idea of her watching the children. Studying them. He wouldn’t understand her need to find out the why. He would see it as an Alpha’s need for control, which she told herself that it was not so. Clarke was her pride and joy. She knew that Clarke was destined for great things. She could feel it. Taste it even. As her sire, it was important to make sure that Clarke made the right friends, studied the right things, and acted accordingly to the station she was born in. Clarke reflected Abby’s accomplishments and it would behoove the child to learn that lesson early on in life.


	3. Chapter 2

Four years had passed since Clarke met Ten, Raven, Bellamy and John on her first day of class. Since then, the rest of the children who were born with black blood had begun class and just as Clarke had, they joined the older children. They kept to themselves, helping with classwork, playing with one another, and only on the rare occurrence would they let someone else in. 

Abby continued her secretive studying of the children as time moved forward. Just as with Tennyson and Raven, the children scored high on every intelligence test the Ark could provide. Each child excelled across the board academically, but at the same time they were drawn to different topics. Raven was drawn to anything having to do with mechanics and engineering. She could design and build anything she put her mind to with only the occasional mishap. Bellamy steered himself towards history and literature, most especially anything having to do with Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. John Murphy, as Abby eventually learned his full name, along with two girls, Harper McIntyre and Zoe Monroe and a boy named Nathan Miller, did well academically but currently lacked any direction (according to Abby Griffin’s notes). A lanky boy that acted goofily even at his young age, Jasper Jordan, could often be found perusing books on botany or moving through Farm Station and learning everything he could about the few plants that could be grown there. His best friend, Monty Green, would rather deal with computer code than people.

Abby Griffin had noted all of these traits among the children. She was often seen speaking with their teachers and occasionally requesting medical testing. She always made sure that her requests and her conversations appeared innocuous to any that would chance by. Her research was kept close to her chest, hidden from prying eyes, including those of her husband and the Council. 

There were two children she studied more than most, Tennyson and Clarke. They stood out more because the children deferred to them. Abby had already seen evidence that if two of the children had an issue they would first go to Tennyson, who would listen attentively and ask questions. She would then go to Clarke and relay the issue at hand wherein Clarke would then decide, and the issue was settled. They had become the pack leaders of their group and Abby could not help but puff out her chest in pride that her own pup was the leader. In her mind, it all but confirmed that when Clarke presented, she was sure to be an Alpha and a strong one at that. For all black blooded Alphas were strong, Abby was proof enough of that even if she wasn’t Chancellor at the moment.

Abby shook her head to clear her thoughts and continued to read through her research. Tennyson showed that she had a wide range of interests. She needed to know everything. Her knowledge base was wide and spanned from basic educational needs to specialized programs that took decades to learn. She wanted to learn it all and that included languages that were no longer in use. She was currently fluent in seven languages, the most commonly found on the Ark besides English, and was in the process of learning four more. Abby theorized that the reasoning behind all of this was to make sure that she was informed as much as possible in order to help Clarke make better decisions as the leader of the pack.

Clarke, her pride and joy, was beginning to follow in Abby’s own footsteps. Her goal to become a doctor aboard the Ark. To better help her daughter, she would often bring medical journals and textbooks home with her and spend hours with Clarke discussing what was in those books and what she did during the day. Clarke also showed an artistic side. With no training, Clarke could take any medium and turn it into a work of art. Her room was filled with scraps of paper filled with drawings. The walls themselves served as canvas just as much. Abby knew the artwork was beautiful and she could appreciate the talent, but she saw it as frivolous and had no bearing on Clarke’s future. She made sure that Clarke saw it as nothing but a hobby, something to do when she needed to keep her hands busy. She made sure that Clarke kept her eyes on the prize, learning to become a doctor. To become even better than her own sire.  
Abby made note of all of this and by the time Clarke came home from class, her research was safely hidden away, and she focused on gaining as much new information out of her daughter as she could.

**Elsewhere on the Ark**

“Mom, I’m home,” Tennyson, Ten as she preferred to be called, yelled out as she came through the door to their home.

Callie walked out from her bedroom and smiled at her daughter, “How was class today, sweetie?”

“It was good,” she replied as she sat down at the dining room table and pulled a tablet out of her bag. As she began to play on it, she said, “Billy tried to pick on Harper. _Again_. Bellamy and I had to remind him that he couldn’t do that. That it was mean to pick on people. Bellamy wanted to hit him, but Clarke told us that hitting wasn’t the answer. She made Billy apologize to Harper and then we had to leave him alone.”

Callie joined her at the table and laid a hand on the tablet to make Ten focus on her and asked, “Why was Billy picking on Harper?”

Ten frowned and replied, “Harper’s mom didn’t have enough credits to get her new clothes. He was making fun of her because the clothes she was wearing were too small for her. I’d give her some of the ones I’ve outgrown, but they’re too small for her too. Is there something we can do?”

Callie smiled fondly and said, “I’ll see what I can do, Ten. I can’t promise anything, but I’m glad you are looking out for one another.”

Ten grinned, “We’re a pack, Momma. It’s what a pack does. We look out for one another.” And then her face turned serious, “Momma, I’ve been feeling weird lately.”

Callie looked at her with concern, “Oh? Can you explain?”

Ten thought about it and biting her lower lip and frowning, she said, “It’s like I’ve got more energy. Like one of Raven’s wind up toys that you wind up until you can’t and then when you let it go, it wants to go all over the place. It’s like I want to go all over the place, but I can’t because there’s no where to go. Does that make sense?”

Callie nodded, smiling slightly, “You need another outlet to let out your excess energy. Maybe something physical?”

Ten nodded, “That’s it. I need something to do. Bellamy’s saying the same thing and so is John. Is it because we’re getting older?”

“Maybe,” she said cautiously. “You still have a few years before you present, but the three of you may be getting ready to have a growth spurt. Has Raven said anything?”

Ten shook her head, “No, not really. But she usually has her head into whatever she’s messing with. She may not notice.”

“In that case, let me think about it, okay? There’s not a whole lot of places that children can run around in, Ten. Can you give me a few days?”

Ten nodded, “Of course, Momma. Can I go back to my game now?”

“One last question and then you can go back to playing. Why did you think Clarke said that hitting Billy was not the answer and that she only made him apologize before letting it go?”

“Well, she didn’t want Bell to get into trouble for hitting Billy, which he would have if he’d gotten caught by one of the teachers. She also said that violence shouldn’t be the first response to a problem. That most problems can be solved with a few words said at the right time. She said that Billy was having a hard time at home and that he was feeling bad and wanted someone else to feel bad. He needed to be treated better so that he’ll treat other people better.”

Callie frowned, “How did she know that Billy is having a hard time at home?”

“Clarke and I had overheard Trina, who’s family lives a few places down from Billy, saying that Billy’s father has been yelling a lot more lately,” she replied easily.

“I see. Thank you for telling me, Ten. You can go back to playing now,” she said and let Ten have the tablet back.

Callie leaned back in her chair as she thought about the conversation. She was impressed by Clarke’s diplomatic solution. And it _was_ diplomatic. Even at nine years old, Clarke was showing signs of being a good leader. She looked out for Bellamy, keeping him out of trouble. She had found out the reason behind Billy’s behavior and figured out why he was picking on Harper. She only made him apologize and then considered the matter settled. Of course, the only way of knowing if it was truly settled was to see if Billy picked on Harper again in the future.

Now, to the other issue, Callie wasn’t quite sure what could be done. She had told Tennyson the truth, in that there really was no place on the Ark that would allow children to run around. Physical activity wasn’t exactly forbidden, but at the same time, it wasn’t pushed for. Not with the current state of calorie intake and oxygen consumption. Physical exertion required more calories and took up more oxygen. This was fact. Unfortunately, if a solution couldn’t be figured out, this could lead the children getting into trouble and none of the parents wanted that to happen.

It wasn’t until after she had put Tennyson down for the night and broaching the subject with Marcus Kane, that a solution was realized. There were still some families on the Ark that kept their family traditions alive, mainly those that practiced martial arts. Not only would the children have an outlet, but they’d also become more disciplined and less likely to act out as they got older. Callie, herself, tried to maintain as much tradition as she could within the confines of her home. Practicing Tai Chi when work began to stress her out. She decided that she’d start Tennyson on that while Kane spoke with those families that practiced various arts and see if they would be willing to take on students.


	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter upload for a bit. Thank you for reading this far. I know the beginning is slow, but it's necessary to lay some background and build the story up.

Two weeks later

Tennyson dropped her bag heavily on her desk, startling Raven and Bellamy out of reading. Giving them a smirk, she plopped down in the seat and leaned forward, making them lean in as well.

“So,” Bellamy asked. “What’s got you smirking?”

“It’s official,” she replied, “We start training this afternoon. Mom and Kane got a space and volunteers.”

Bellamy looked relieved as Raven just frowned. Noticing the frown, Ten said, “Don’t give me that look, Rae. No excuses. All of us will be there this afternoon.”

Raven just huffed and leaned back, crossing her arms, replied, “I don’t see why we all have to be there. It’s not like we can use it. Not unless one of us decides to go into the Guard.”

“Yeah, tell that to your knee bouncing a million miles a second,” she said, pointing out that Raven was bouncing her knee at this very moment.

Raven stopped and glared at Ten, “I’m fine, Ten. It helps me concentrate.”

“Look, Rae, all of us are starting to have trouble concentrating,” she said, earnestly. “Especially, you, me, Bell, and Murphy. Even Clarke is starting to have problems. If we don’t get a handle on this now, it could cause problems later. You know this, so stop with the pouting. You can handle a couple of hours away from your machines.”

“Fine,” she huffed back and then decided to change the subject, “Did you do the homework?”

“Two months ago,” she answered, frowning. “I don’t see why we’re stuck taking these stupid classes. I already know this crap and it’s all useless anyway.”

They both nodded in agreement as Bellamy said, “I know I love the ancient world, but what is the point of learning about the different types of government. We have a Chancellor and a Council. Strongest Alpha of the Blood is Chancellor. Council is made up of a mix between those with the Blood and heads of the departments. There haven’t been any changes to our government since it was first instated nearly a hundred years ago.”

“Which I think is total bullshit,” Ten said adamantly. “It shouldn’t matter if you’re the strongest Alpha. The Chancellor should be the one best suited for the people, regardless.”

“Or that certain career paths get better provisions,” Bellamy said, anger flitting across his face.

Raven reached over and gave his hand a gentle squeeze in comaraderie, “Or the fact that Alphas are practically given immunity for any crimes they commit.”

“Well, that will all change once we’re eligible for the Council,” Tennyson replied.

“Oh, you think you are just going to waltz right up to the Council and demand admittance,” Bellamy smirked.

“There’s twelve of us, Bellamy,” Ten said, grinning. “And something tells me that we’re going to be more powerful than the four on the Council. They’ll have no choice but to submit to us.”

Raven barked a laugh, “I like how you think, Ten. Between you and Clarke, the Ark isn’t going to know what hit them.”

“Nope,” she said, leaning back and grinning like the Cheshire Cat. “They ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”

**************************************************************

After school, nine children waited in the hallway of the Education Wing for Callie and Kane to escort them to their first lesson in martial arts. The only two not accounted for were Charlotte and Octavia. Charlotte was considered too young and Octavia was a secret second child who needed to stay hidden.

When Callie and Kane arrived, they took a moment to take in the children. Their body language portrayed everything from excitement to annoyance to boredom, but each of them knew that if they didn’t participate, it could spell trouble for them later. Taking control of the group, Kane explained to them the rules for allowing them this opportunity. They were not allowed to use the skills learned outside the room. If they were caught disobeying, they would be removed from the class and arrested. Length of stay would be determined by the severity of the incident, but ultimately, they wouldn’t be allowed out until they would be reviewed at the age of eighteen. The adults knew that the children were special and that the Council paid closer attention to them than anyone else on the Ark. It was imperative that the children remain on the right side of the law until they were of age and would take over the Council. They knew this, and even though they would never readily admit it, were looking forward to what this younger generation would be able to accomplish.

Once Kane had gotten each of the children’s agreement that they would abide by the rules set forth and follow the instructions of their teachers verbatim, did they finally leave the hallway and head towards a hanger that had been repurposed for their use. When they arrived, the children took a moment to take in the space. Thin mats had been found and placed in the center of the space. There were racks of what looks like weapons placed along one of the walls. Kane had gotten the machine shops to make practice weapons like staffs and swords. There were also weight machines and what looked like climbing apparatuses taking up another side of the space. Somehow, treadmills had been found and were also brought in.

Once they had taken it all in, their eyes were drawn to five individuals standing in front of the mats. These would be their teachers until such a time as an end was called to their training. They were each proficient in a different style and had agreed to train the children for better provisions. Living on the Ark was all about survival. Everyone knew this and accepted it. At least until they could return to the ground in four generations.

Introductions were made and soon the children began after Callie and Kane left. It was probably the hardest three hours any of them had ever had to go through, but in the end, they all agreed that they felt better for having it. Even Raven, Jasper and Monty agreed that it was probably the best solution to their increased need for activity.

That night, each child fell into their beds exhausted but slept better than they had in months. Of course, waking up sore and in pain, each child mentally cursed Clarke and Tennyson for making them participate. It would take a couple of months before their bodies acclimated and when that happened, they were singing their praises. Clarke and Tennyson only shared a look and a smile as their pack grew stronger, both individually and together.


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I know I said that I wouldn't update this story for a little while, but I wanted to add one more chapter.

Another four years had passed and the children, now teenagers, had taken the space and designated it as theirs. After their training sessions, the entrance would lock and only those with a specific code could enter. They had brought in couches, tables and chairs. A few Raven-made fridges filled with electrolyte heavy drinks and some infamous Monty moonshine which was only drunk on special occasions. Charlotte had finally joined the group and spent many hours grumbling about having to catch up to the rest. Octavia was snuck in when ever the chance presented itself. She spent most of her time split between training with Miller, who had taken to the training like a fish to water, and getting tutored by Tennyson.

That afternoon, the discussion centered around Octavia and the difficulty they were having getting her in and out of the space.

“It’s not fair,” Octavia bemoaned as she flopped on one of the couches, dislodging her own brother. “I’m never going to get caught up if I stay stuck underneath the floor all the damn time.”

“You’re worrying too much, O,” her brother said, trying to calm the pouting twelve-year old. “You’ll get it. You’re as smart as the rest of us. And in four years when Clarke and Ten take over the Council…”

That had apparently been the wrong thing to say as Octavia jumped up and glared hotly at her brother, “Four years! Four Years! Do you know how much can happen in four years?! I’m a ticking time bomb, Bell. All it would take is a guard passing by at the wrong moment and it’s over. For me. For Mom. Hell, even for you.”

“That’s enough, Octavia,” Clarke said from her seat. “We’ve actually been thinking about this and we may have come up with a solution. We’ll tell you if you settle down.”

Octavia whirled around to look at Clarke, hope daring to show on her face. So, as calmly as she could, she sat back down and turned her attention to the thirteen-year old blonde, “What kind of solution are you talking about, Princess?”

Clarke rolled her eyes at the nickname and sent a mental call out to Raven and Monty to bring their focus on to the impending conversation. When she was sure that the right people had turned their attention to her, she said, “The solution is to make you an orphan, Octavia.”

“An orphan?! You’re going to turn in my mom and Bellamy,” Octavia shrieked and would have lunged at her if Bellamy hadn’t held her down.  


With a tight grip on his sister, he hissed at her, “Calm down, O. That’s not what she meant. Shut up and listen before you start assuming things. Got it?”

Octavia took a calming breath and nodded before Bellamy loosened his grip and allowed Clarke to continue.

“Thanks, Bell,” she said, smiling at him and then said, “We give you a new identity, Octavia. There were a few stillborn births around the time you were born. I’ve seen the medical records when I’ve helped my mom in Medical. It’s unfortunate that it still happens, but this only helps you and us. Thanks to Monty’s mad hacking skills, he’s been able to cross check that information with couples that have been floated recently. Monty?”

Startling at being put in the spotlight, he stammered out, “Um, right… according to ArkSec’s logs, there were three couples that were summarily floated that fit the parameters that we needed. Couples that bore a strong enough resemblance to Octavia. Dark hair, blue or green eyes, olive complexion stemming from possible Mediterranean descent. Our best couple out of the three was floated less than a month ago.”

“What were they floated for,” Octavia asked, unsure how she felt about being associated with criminals.

Monty looked at the tablet he had in his hand and with a few swipes of his fingers, he answered, “They were caught stealing opioids with the intent to sell.”

“I guess that’s not too bad,” Octavia said mostly to herself. “At least they weren’t murderers.”

“True,” Raven said, speaking up finally. “According to the files, they had a stillborn girl thirteen years ago. The couple had hidden the pregnancy from their families and the subsequent death was kept under wraps. Honestly, we couldn’t have come up with a better cover story if we invented it ourselves. They didn’t even bother to name her before she was shot out into space.”

Octavia nodded and asked, “So, how would this work? How do you suddenly make a dead baby suddenly appear thirteen years later?”

This time Ten spoke up, “According to neighbors, the couple kept to themselves. Barely spoke to anyone outside what was necessary for their jobs. They never left the confines of their home except to go to work or to sneak out and deal with their products. They were quiet enough that their neighbors pretty much forgot they were there. Until the guard showed up, of course. So, it wouldn’t be surprising to find out that they had a child that was kept close to home. There have been instances when parents have decided to homeschool their children, which is part of your cover story.”

“Which means that it would have been unlikely for me to have ever needed to step out of the home. Or if I supposedly did, it was after hours like when they snuck out.”

Tennyson grinned and said, “Right. So, to get you out and about, we create the identity. Clarke can take your medical history and create the necessary medical records. Monty and Raven create the necessary documentation; birth certificate, educational transcript and so on. Once that’s done, you can enroll yourself into school with the rest of us.”

“Um, one question. Where would I live,” she asked worriedly.

“Orphan ward,” Raven answered. “It’s not the best place to live, trust me, but it’s better than living under the floor.”

“True,” Clarke interjected. “There’s a good possibility that once you’re enrolled and have ‘joined’ our pack, that one of us may be able to convince our parents to let you live with us. Especially, once my mom figures out that you share the same qualities as the rest of us.”

Tennyson chuckled and shook her head, “Your mom’s really not that great at hiding the fact that she’s been studying us, is she?”

Clarke laughed, “She has no clue that I caught her taking notes after every conversation we’ve had. Or the fact, that we caught on to all those ‘tests’ she’s requested on us over the years. I have no problem that she’s doing it. It only helps us better understand exactly what we are and what we might be capable of.”

“You don’t think she’s let Jaha in on her studies, do you,” Monroe asked worriedly.

“No, I don’t think so,” Clarke answered, shaking her head. “Her Alpha pride won’t let anyone else have the knowledge that she alone possesses. She’ll use it as leverage to gain a higher seat on the Council if she feels like it’s worth it. Only then, will we have to worry about it.”

“I think we’re digressing from the conversation,” Tennyson said, returning everyone’s attention to the plan.

“You’re right. That’s a topic of discussion for another day. Anyway, Octavia, that’s pretty much the solution. You think this is something you want to do? I mean, it gets you out and into our small world. Bellamy and your mother won’t have to worry about you accidently being found out. You won’t lose either one of them and you’ll be able to visit your mom whenever you want since you’ll be ‘friends’ with Bellamy.”

Everyone waited patiently as Octavia thought about it. She knew that Monty and Raven were the best when it came to forging the necessary documents. Thanks to Bellamy being there, they would have the intimate details regarding her birth. She’d still be his sister and her mom would still be her mom, she’d only have fake parents who just happened to have existed but are now dead. She didn’t like the idea of living in the Orphan Ward, but she thought it would be worth it to finally be free to have a life. She wouldn’t have to hide anymore.

“I say we do it,” she said, coming to a decision. “It’d be great if we could convince someone’s parents to let me live with one of you, but I think I can handle living in the Orphan Ward if it doesn’t pan out. And hey, it makes me one year older than I really am!”

Everyone laughed at that and Tennyson said, “That’s the spirit, O. Bellamy, you gonna be okay with this?”

“It’s going to be weird not having her around the place anymore,” he said carefully. “I know Mom may have a hard time adjusting, but she’ll see that it’s the best possible solution. I mean, it keeps all of us alive.”

“Exactly, Bellboy,” Raven said. “You stay alive. Octavia stays alive. Your mom stays alive. ♪ Ah, ha, ha, ha, Stayin' alive. ♪”

“No, don’t you dare, Raven,” Clarke said, getting up quickly and lunging at the suddenly singing Latina.

Raven only cackled and ran over to one of her fridges, “Ya know? I think this is cause for a celebration. What do you say? Octavia, you with me?”

“Hell yeah, I am,” Octavia replied, grinning and making gimme hand motions. “Happy Birthday to me! By the way, what’s my name now?”

“Octavia Marie Essex,” Monty supplied.

She nodded, liking the name, “Not bad. I like it.”

“Good,” Raven said as she plunked back down next to Octavia and took a swig of moonshine, “Now, let’s celebrate our baby girl’s birth. Long live Octavia Marie Essex!”

A cheer went up around the room as music started blaring through the speakers. Clarke and Tennyson shared a look of pride over their pack.

Clarke leaned against Tennyson’s shoulder as she watched everyone enjoying themselves, “They needed this, didn’t they?”

“It’s more like they’ll use any excuse to bring out the moonshine and weed,” Ten countered, laughing. “But, yeah, I gotta agree, they need something to celebrate.”

“Speaking of celebrations, isn’t your birthday next week,” she asked, coyly.

Ten nodded, “Yep.”

“Got anything planned yet?”

“Nope. Why? You’re not gonna plan a party, are you,” she asked, looking down at Clarke and for a moment she felt something squeeze in her chest at Clarke’s small smile.

It squeezed harder when Clarke turned her intense blue eyes to look at her and between one heartbeat and the next she forgot to breathe. Her mind froze as she lost herself in the deep blue shade. She didn’t come back until Clarke’s lips quirked up in a smirk drawing her gaze down. She had never noticed how full Clarke’s lips were or how her beauty mark immediately drew the eye to them. She shifted a little and coughed to cover up her lapse before she focused on what Clarke was now saying.

Except that Clarke felt her smirk falter and the words she wanted to say died on her lips. She inhaled deeply, which was a mistake, as her senses were suddenly filled with Tennyson’s scent. She couldn’t place it because she had never smelled something like it, but she imagined that maybe it could be what the Earth smelled like on a warm summer day. Inviting you to be lazy as the sun warmed your skin and a gentle breeze blew through your hair. Clarke closed her eyes without meaning to as she pictured herself on Earth and experiencing such a day. She didn’t come out of her daydream until a voice called her back to reality.

“Clarke, you okay,” Ten asked softly.

Clarke’s eyes snapped open, “Hmm? Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay.”

Concern flitted across Ten’s eyes as she asked, “You sure? I kinda lost you for a minute there.”

She sat up straighter, clearing her throat and giving Ten a smile, “Yeah. Just daydreaming about Earth again.”

Ten nodded, not completely believing her, but she let it go and asked instead, “You were going to ask me something. What was it?”

Clarke felt herself blush and replied hastily, “It was nothing. Nothing important, really. You don’t want a birthday party?”

Ten chuckled, her face changing as she smiled and shook her head, “No. No party. I’d like something low-key this year. Just me and Mom watching some of my favorite movies. She’s been so busy with work lately that we haven’t spent a lot of time together. Not like we used to.”

Clarke felt her heartstrings pull because of how close Ten and her mom were, which made her immediately feel bad for wanting to take that away from her. Instead, she said, “Why’s your mom been working so much lately?”

Ten shrugged and replied, “Don’t know. Since Jaha was elected Chancellor, she’s been a lot more busy. Probably has something to do with how Diana Sydney left her post. From what I’ve overheard, she had a lot of back table dealings going on and they’re trying to get it all sorted out.”

Clarke made a face, “Ugh, that woman is the absolute worse. Puts on a nice face, but is a complete snake.”

“Yeah, but we’ll just have to see what Jaha does now that he’s Chancellor. Speaking of Jaha, do you think Wells would be willing to help us out with Octavia? It would make the transition go much smoother if we had him in our corner.”

Clarke thought about it and nodded, “Yeah. We can trust him to help us out. You know that he doesn’t agree with all of the laws. I thought you would have learned to trust him by now, Ten. He’s never betrayed my trust.”

“I trust him, Clarke. He’s a good guy and I know I still give him a hard time sometimes, but you’re the pack leader. It’s my duty to protect you. I just don’t want him to ever hurt you.”

“He’d never hurt me, Ten. And I can take care of myself,” she replied defensively.

Ten held up her hands in surrender and said, “I know you can, but as your Second and your friend, I worry. It comes with the territory.”

Clarke huffed, but acquiesced, “Alright. I’ll give you that, but you gotta be more open to trust Reds. There’s more of them then there are of us. We have to be able to work together if we want to make our home better. Okay?”

“Okay,” she said and they lapsed into silence.

That had not been the way Clarke had envisioned her conversation going with Ten, but it seemed the inevitable path their conversations always went. Sometimes, Tennyson could be too serious and Clarke felt it was her duty to remind her to have fun sometimes. That was what she had been aiming for, but she had become distracted and it had fallen flat.

Instead, she turned her attention to the rest of the group. Laughing and joking with the others, but she couldn’t escape the fact that Tennyson was mere inches away from her. It felt like her body was so entuned that she could feel every breath, every movement that the older girl made. Tennyson wasn’t doing much better. Even though outwardly she was tuned into the world around her, inwardly she was quaking with nervousness. She spent most of her time trying to figure out when her feelings for Clarke had changed. Or if they had always been there, but she just hadn’t taken the time to notice. Well, she noticed now and she couldn’t help but wonder if maybe Clarke felt the same way.

Unbeknownst to both of them, their circle of friends noticed and would give each other side glances and knowing smiles. In secret conversations, they were betting how long it would take before they finally took the plunge and admitted their feelings to one another.


	6. Chapter 5

“You promised, Mom,” Tennyson cried and couldn’t seem to help the whine that escaped. “We’ve been planning this night for weeks. You promised that you’d take the night off and we’d spend some time together.”

“I know, baby,” Callie said as she took in her daughter’s countenance. “The Chancellor just…”

“Yeah, the Chancellor always needs something,” she interrupted angrily. “Is that man capable of doing anything on his own?”

“Tennyson, that’s enough,” Callie said hotly. “That’s no way to speak about the Chancellor. He’s trying to get the Council in order after the mess Diana Sydney left.”

“It’s been a year, Mother! How much of a fucking mess did the woman leave?!”

“I’m not having this argument with you and you will not use that kind of language in this house, young lady. Now, I am sorry that this is not what we planned, but you know very well that I cannot ignore the Chancellor. No matter how much I want to.”

Tennyson sighed heavily and plopped on the couch, “I know, Mom. I’m not angry at you. It’s just, I was really looking forward to tonight. We’ve hardly spent any time together since he became Chancellor and I’ve missed you.”

“Oh, baby,” Callie replied, sitting beside her and hugging her close. “I was looking forward to tonight, too. I promise that I’ll make it up to you. Hey, why don’t you get the girls together and have a girls’ night?”

“Maybe…it’s just that I told them that it’d just be you and me tonight,” she replied petulantly. “If I invite them over then they’re gonna want to know why and it’ll just…”

“I understand, sweetie,” Callie said and then saw the time on the clock. “I’ve got to get going, Tennyson. I’ll try to get back as soon as I can and if it’s not late, we’ll do something. Okay?”

“Yeah, alright,” she replied, not really believing that she’ll see her mother until breakfast.

Callie kissed her on the top of her head and with one last squeeze, left their home.

“Happy Birthday to me,” she said sadly as she hit play on the viewer and started watching Marvel’s _Black Widow_.

Halfway through the movie, the door chime sounded. Tennyson paused the movie and debated on whether she felt like answering the door, but it sounded again and she heard Clarke’s tentative mind voice call out to her.

She got up and leaning against the door frame, looked at Clarke and gave her a sad smile, “Hey, Clarke.”

“Hey, Ten,” Clarke replied, feeling nervous. “You okay?”

“Not really,” she replied. “Mom had to go to work.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Ten. I know you were really looking forward to spending time with her.”

“Yeah,” she sighed. “Wanna come in?”

“If you’re sure,” she said, playing with the hem of her shirt.

Giving her a genuine smile, “I’m always sure when it’s you. I was just watching a movie.”

Clarke felt a flutter in her stomach at her words and gave her a shy smile, “What movie?”

Ten stepped back and answered as Clarke came in, “ _Black Widow_. There’s nothing I like watching more than Scarlett Johansson kick ass unless it’s like Jennifer Lawrence. Maybe Kate Beckinsale’s Selene.”

Clarke laughed, “You got a thing for badass women?”

“Hell yeah,” she replied, sitting back on the couch. “Kicking ass better than any man. What’s not to like?”

“What about Chris Hemsworth’s Thor,” she asked curiously, trying to get a feel on the older girl.

Ten made a face and replied, “Nah, if we’re going with that storyline than it’s Jaimie Alexander’s Sif or Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie or even Rene Russo’s Frigga. Hell, you know what? Any of the female gods from the Norse pantheon. The Norse created some badass goddesses.”

“Don’t tell Bell that,” Clarke said, flopping beside Ten and laughing. “You know he prefers the Roman pantheon.”

“No, he loves the civilization they created, not the gods themselves. I think Alexander the Great was better than any of the Ceasars.”

“What makes you say that,” she asked curiously.

“He was a brillant military commander and created one of the largest empires in the ancient world in just thirteen years. Completely undefeated in battle. All before he was 35. I mean, yeah, sure, the Roman Empire lasted 500 years, but still,” she answered, grinning.

“Okay,” Clarke said, smiling and shaking her head at Ten. “Remind me never to start a conversation between you and Bellamy over the ancient world.”

“What? Too dry?”

“Um, yeah and I don’t think it would ever end. You two are such nerds,” she said laughing.

“I hate to break it to you, girlie, but we’re all nerds.”

“I am not a nerd,” Clarke said, leaning back and feigning offense. 

“So, if we started discussing stem cell regrowth and DNA manipulation, you wouldn’t have a word to say,” she teased.

Clarke blushed, “Um, no. Nope.”

“Oh, that’s right…we would have to talk about using lasers during surgery for you to start talking.”

“I never understood why we don’t have that kind of technology on board the Ark. I mean, come on, much more efficient than scalpels and nervous hands.”

“And there comes out the nerd,” she laughed.

Clarke slapped Ten on her chest and they broke out in laughter. When they calmed down, Ten leaned her head against the couch and said, “Thank you, C. This is much better than moping and pouting on my birthday.”

“Of course, Ten. I hate seeing you sad,” Clarke replied. “You’re my best friend and I know you’d do the same for me.”

Ten rolled her head to look at Clarke and once more found herself breathless. Enraptured, she lost herself in the deep blue of her eyes and couldn’t have thought of a more perfect moment. Even though they were both at the age where they were just beginning to develop physically and both awkward, she found Clarke beautiful.

Breaking her thoughts, she said, “So, how’d you know that I was alone?”

Clarke blushed and replied, “Your mom stopped by.”

She chuckled, “Ah. I guess that was okay. I’m not complaining. You’re much better company than me, myself, and I.”

“I should hope so,” Clarke teased. “I mean, the conversation is, like, a hundred times better.”

“So, you’re saying I’m boring. I’m hurt.”

“As if. But talking to yourself has to get pretty boring, pretty quickly.”

“Oh, I don’t know. Sometimes those are the best conversations.”

“You know what,” Clarke said, sitting up straighter. “We are not going down this road. Enough introspection. Take a walk with me.”

Sitting up, “A walk?”

Clarke nodded, “Yeah. Come on, there’s somewhere I wanna take you.”

Ten raised an eyebrow in suspicion, “Oh, really?”

“Yes,” she replied, standing up. “Come on. It’ll be worth it. I promise.”

“Um…”

“Oh, come on, Ten,” she said, holding out her hand. “Please. It’d make me happy.”

Ten took her hand and Clarke pulled her up as she said, “I thought this was about making me happy, not you.”

“Well, of course. A happy Tennyson makes me happy,” she replied, tugging her out the door. “And you want to make me happy, don’t you?”

_You have no idea_ , Tennyson thought to herself, but followed Clarke out into the Ark.

Clarke was intimately aware that Ten still held her hand. She couldn’t help but admit that she liked the feeling of their fingers entwined. Looking over at Ten, they shared a small smile before Ten leaned over and nudged shoulders with her. They were quiet and it was an easy silence, neither one of them needing to feed the space with words. Clarke felt nervous. She hadn’t planned on this walk, but she suddenly wanted to share someplace that was special to her. A place her father had shown her and it was probably her favorite place. A little known observation deck that faced Earth. She just hoped that Ten would like it.

Ten could feel Clarke’s nervous energy through their joined hands. She was aware that they were still holding hands and she had no problem continuing to do so as long as Clarke wanted to. All she knew was that her birthday was turning out a lot better than she had thought it would be as soon as her mom had told her she had to go to work. Quite frankly, any time that she got to spend with Clarke away from the others was something she looked forward to. It wasn’t just because she suddenly noticed that she was attracted to Clarke or that they’d been friends pretty much since birth. It had nothing to do with the fact that they were leaders of their pack or that they worked well together. It was all of those things and so much more. Being around Clarke centered and kept her grounded.

_Fuck_ , she thought to herself, _I just like being around Clarke. I like the way I feel when I’m around her. Now, if only I could actually tell her that. Shit, what if she doesn’t like girls? Have I told her that I like girls? Fuuuuck…_

To keep herself from rambling in her head, she forced herself to pay attention to where they were walking. It looked like Clarke was taking her into the Go-Sci section of the Ark. This peaked Ten’s curiosity and at the same time she hoped that Clarke’s destination wasn’t one of the many science labs because there was some weird shit in some of them. She shuddered at an image of the germ lab that she’d accidently found herself in a few years ago. That had been nasty and given her nightmares for weeks after that visit. It also made sure that she only ever went into the science labs if she was invited and knew exactly what she would be seeing.

Clarke felt Ten shudder and asked, “You okay?”

“Hmm,” Ten said, startled out of her memory. “Oh, yeah. I was just remembering a bad experience walking into one of the labs. We’re not going in one of them, are we?”

Clarke laughed because she remembered Ten’s aversion to some of the more practical science experiments that were done, “No. I promise. I’m not taking you to see a weird new strain of virus or something. It’s way more cooler than that.”

Ten looked at her skeptically, “I’m trusting you, C, but if I have nightmares, I’m gonna kick your ass outta the Ark.”

“When you see what I want to show you, you’ll be singing my praises. Not cursing my existance,” she replied, stepping closer to Ten and leaning into her.

Ten felt an odd sensation build in her chest when Clarke leaned into her, but she quickly suppressed it. To hide her nervousness, she smirked and said, “You think mighty high of yourself, C. Maybe Princess is an appropriate nickname for you.”

Clarke snorted, “I hate that nickname. I mean, I get it. I live on the priviledged section of the Ark which is the equivalent of the old world’s rich people’s neighborhood, but come on. It’s ridiculous. I’m not spoiled.”

She barked out a laugh, “It’s not just because of that…well, okay, it has a lot to do with that, but it’s also because you’re blonde and have blue eyes. You look like those old images of Cinderella or even Sleeping Beauty. I mean, you have to admit that you and Wells have it a lot easier than the rest of us. Yes, I admit, that given my mom’s position working with the Council and who my sire is, I have advantages too. They’re just not to the extent that you have.”

“It’s not fair that we have it better than the others, Ten,” Clarke said, looking at her suddenly serious. “Their families work twice as hard and they don’t get nearly enough to barely survive.”

“Yeah, and we’ll change that when it’s finally our turn,” Ten replied. “We just have to hold out for a little bit longer.”

“Waiting was never one of my strong suits,” she said, chuckling ruefully.

Ten smiled at her and replied, “That’s why you have me.”

Clarke returned her smile, “I’m glad. Oh, look, we’re here.”

They had slowed to a stop and when Ten stopped staring at Clarke and looked to where they were, she was met with a large window. She could make out the stars, but saw that Earth dominated the space. Ten stood there taking in the view as Clarke reluctantly let her hand go and walked closer to the window.

“Dad showed me this place when I was little,” Clarke was saying, not bothering to look at Ten. Her focus was now on the planet, “I had a nightmare one night and he brought me here thinking I would find it calming. I did. We come out here every once in awhile just to take a moment and breathe. Sometimes I come here by myself because it always brings me a sense of peace. Like I have to see Earth to let the pressures go. What do you think, Ten?”

“You’re beautiful,” Ten blurted out and then backtracked as she walked closer, “I mean, it’s beautiful, Clarke. Not that I’m saying you’re not, but the Earth is, too. Um, so, your dad showed you this place?”

Clarke stood still, frozen in shock, hearing Ten calling her beautiful. Her mind suddenly incapable of forming thoughts except for, _Ten thinks I’m beautiful_. Then her mind snapped and it was suddenly going at the speed of light as she realized, hoped, that maybe Ten felt the same way she did. That maybe Ten liked her. That maybe it wasn’t just one-sided.

Ten was freaking out. She was berating herself for blurting those words out. She hadn’t meant to, but with Clarke standing there in the window with the Earth as a backdrop, that was the only thought in her mind. What had she been thinking? Well, that was the problem, she hadn’t. It was like the part of her brain that told her to think before she spoke, had somehow malfunctioned and now Clarke knew. She knew Clarke had heard her. How could she not? And now, she was just standing there. Not speaking. Not looking at her. Had she ruined their friendship? Was this going to put a strain on the pack?

While she had been thinking, Ten had continued walking towards Clarke and now found herself next to her. Nervously, she reached out and tentatively touched Clarke on the arm, making the girl jump, “Clarke? I-I’m sorry?”

Clarke stared wide-eyed at Ten as she thought to herself, _She’s apologizing? Why’s she apologizing? She did nothing wrong. Oh…wait. She called me beautiful. Have I just been standing here? Have I said anything? Must not have if she’s apologizing. Gotta fix this. How do I fix this? Okay, Clarke, just breathe. You can do this. You can tell her how you feel. Come on, dammit! Speak! Say something cool. You can do it. No, I can’t! Shit! Breathe. Take a deep breath and just tell her you like her. Say something, you idiot!_

She let out a slow breath, looking down she noticed that Ten was fidgeting with her hands in nervousness. So, she took a chance, reached out and took one of her hands before looking back up and said, honestly, “You, you don’t have any reason to be sorry, Ten.”

Ten looked at their joined hands and then back to her, “I, I don’t?”

Clarke shook her head and gave her a small smile, “No.” She took a step closer, “I like you, Ten, and if you calling me beautiful means that you like me too, then that’s okay.”

Ten felt relieved and like a huge weight had been lifted off her chest. Her face transformed as she smiled and said, “I like you, Clarke. More than a friend, I mean. I, um, have for awhile now. I just…”

“Didn’t know if I felt the same way,” Clarke finished, tilting her head slightly as she continued to smile. “I do.”

Ten chuckled, feeling giddy and suddenly courageous, asked, “Clarke, will you go out with me? Be my girlfriend?”

Clarke beamed at the older girl and nodded, “I’d like that, Ten.”

“Cool.”

That made Clarke laugh and she said, “Cool? I say yes to being your girlfriend and all you can say is, ‘cool?’”

Ten laughed, shrugging, “My brain is kinda malfunctioning at the moment. It’s the first word that popped in my head. You have no idea how happy you’ve just made me.”

She raised an eyebrow and a smirk appeared, “Oh? I think I have a pretty good idea because I’m just as happy.”

Ten nodded and taking a chance, tugged Clarke’s hand until she could embrace the younger girl. She circled her arms around Clarke’s waist, standing behind her as they faced the window together. Ten was just tall enough to rest her chin against Clarke’s shoulder and as she did that, Clarke leaned against her and they both let out a sigh of contentment.

“Thank you for showing this to me, Clarke,” Ten said softly. “It’s a beautiful view.”

Clarke only hummed in acknowledgement as they lapsed into silence and just enjoyed being together. They stood there lost in the moment until a distant P.A. announcement.

With a sigh, Clarke said, “We should be getting home.”

Ten nodded and reluctantly let Clarke go, “We should. Wanna just spend the night at my place?”

Clarke looked up at her in surprise and stammered, “Y-you sure?”

Ten smiled and shrugged, “I really don’t feel like being alone right now and since your parents know you were coming over to my place anyway…”

Clarke smiled, “I’d like that, but no monkey business.”

She barked a laugh and wrapping her arm around Clarke’s shoulders to begin walking back, “Take away my fun, why don’t you? No, I figured we can just watch movies until we fall asleep. The nice thing about having my birthday on a Friday is that we don’t have to worry about waking up to go to school.”

Clarke hipped checked Ten, but snuggled into her shoulder, “God, you’re going to be unbearable when you present, aren’t you?”

“That’s what I have you for,” Ten said with a grin. “You’ll keep me on the straight and narrow.”

“So, what? You’re going to deprive me of my fun by making me babysit you?”

“Nah,” she replied. “You’ll be there right alongside me. Like always.”

“Like always,” she agreed.

The rest of the walk back to Ten’s home was spent teasing one another. When they got there, they did exactly what they planned, watching movies until they fell asleep. Only this time, Clarke was curled up against Ten as the girls acquainted themselves with their new relationship. 

Coming home after long hours pouring over reports, Callie entered their home to find the girls asleep on the couch with a movie playing on the screen. She smiled as she took in their appearance before she gently woke them up and encouraged them to find Ten’s bed. Giving sleepy goodnights, the girls cuddled up in the bed and fell asleep. Both bearing smiles as they chased their dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not as well written as I'd like, but teen awkwardness is well behind me. Now, it's just adult awkwardness, lol.


	7. Chapter 6

Clarke, Wells, and Raven were walking down the halls of the Ark the next week one afternoon. Raven and Monty had finally finished all the necessary paperwork they needed to get Octavia into the Orphan Ward. Clarke found herself nervous because this was the first time they were taking such an overt action against the Council and Exodus Charter. She kept thinking that something would go wrong because everything had been going perfectly so far. 

Trying not to sound nervous, Clarke looked over at Wells and said, “Hey, thanks for helping us with this, Wells.”

He nodded and gave her a smile, “You don’t have to keep thanking me, Clarke. I’m happy to help. I mean, it’s not her fault and she shouldn’t have to continue to live her life like she has been. I think we’re far enough from the past that we can start living a little instead of just surviving. Don’t you think?”

“You’re not wrong, Junior,” Raven said, smirking at him. “Unfortunately, the Ark isn’t so agreeable. More things are starting to break often. There’s already talk of jettisoning the older portions in order to relieve the stress on the life support systems in the Engineering Lab.”

They both looked at her in shock, but it was Clarke that said, “As long as it’s not one of the populated areas, I guess that makes sense. I know Dad will be concientious enough to push for non-vital sections.”

“Papa G and Sinclair are both pushing that agenda,” she replied. “So, you don’t have to worry about that. I’m just pointing out the fact that we’re barely surviving, so what’s the harm in letting someone out to live while we still can.”

“Okay, now you’re just bumming us out, Rae,” the blonde pouted. “Wells, have you decided on an apprenticeship yet?”

Wells was surprised by the laugh that escaped his lips and replied, “Clarke, we have a year and a half to decide on a program. I haven’t even thought about anything, yet, except, maybe engineering. Dad was an engineer before he became Chancellor and I remember all the fun we had making things together when I was little. I really miss those days sometimes.”

“That was before your mom, you know…,” Raven said trailing off at the end, looking at him sadly.

He nodded and replied dejectedly, “Yeah, before he became interested in furthering his political career.”

“Well, if you ever want to come hang out with the important people,” Raven said, primping her hair and removing nonexistant dust from her jacket, “just say the word and I’ll get you into a lab.”

Clarke groaned and Wells laughed, “Yeah. Alright. I’ll remember that. Now, shouldn’t their place be around here somewhere?”

“Um, yeah,” Clarke replied as she looked around.

She noticed that they were in section B-17 of Factory Station and began looking at the door numbers. She hated to admit to herself, but she’d hardly ever come this way. Not because she didn’t like visiting the Blakes, but it was all the looks she got as she walked down the hallways. It made her wish that she didn’t live in Alpha or that her parents were who they were. Talking with Wells and Raven had erased the feeling of being watched, but now that they were nearing their destination, she was well aware of the eyes. She chanced a look around as they neared their place and waited until the hall was finally clear before she knocked and sent out a mind call to Bellamy and Octavia.

It seemed like hours before the door finally opened, increasing her nerves to a high pitch. Bellamy opened the door slightly, making sure that it was only them and then opened it up just enough for them to squeeze through. Raven and Clarke went straight to Octavia and gave her hugs before they turned their attention to Aurora, their mother. Aurora looked frightened and sad at the same time, but there was also a sense of relief. They hugged the older woman as well while Wells stayed close to the door, unsure of his welcome. 

“Is everything all set up,” Bellamy asked, nervously.

Clarke turned his attention to him and nodded, “Yeah. The paperwork is solid and her picture is plastered to the appropriate items. Raven, I think you have something for her, right?”

“Got it right here, Princess,” Raven replied, reaching into her bag. She pulled out a plastic card and held it out to Octavia. “Here you go, O. One legit ID proclaiming you as Octavia Marie Essex.”

Octavia took the ID tentatively and turned it over, “So, this is what everyone carries around with them?”

“Yep. This is the real deal and if you lose it, it’s a pain in the ass to get a new one. As in, you get sent to holding until they can verify your identity.”

“So, don’t lose it.”

“Yeah. Even if you do, everything will still hold up and you’ll get a new one, but you don’t want any undue attention brought to you. Some of these guards can be real assholes.”

Octavia nodded and shoved the ID in her back jeans pocket, “So, what now?”

They all looked at each other, but it was Aurora that spoke up, her voice choked with emotion, “Now, sweetheart, it’s time for you to go.”

Looking at her mother, tears sprung from Octavia’s eyes and she hugged her mother fiercely, “I’ll be back to visit. I promise.”

“I know, baby,” Aurora said. “But it’s okay if you can’t. I am so proud of you and I know you’ll do great things.”

Octavia pulled back and looked at her in alarm, “Why are you talking like that, Mom? This keeps us all safe. I’ll still be able to see you and Bellamy. I’m just…just moving out. Yeah. That’s how we’ll look at this. You know, like in the old days where people went to school and lived in those dorms or whatever. And, and visit on holidays.”

Aurora let out a wet chuckle and pulled her close again, “That’s a great way of looking at it. We’ll be fine, so go. Go out there and learn. And live. You deserve this, sweetheart.”

Octavia took a shuddering breath and inhaled deeply, taking in her mother’s scent. Pulling away finally, she nodded and looked at everyone. Clarke and Raven were arm in arm, teary eyed and giving sad smiles. Bellamy had his arms crossed over his chest and tried to look stoic, but she could see how emotional he really was. Wells just looked uncomfortable. Like he was intruding on a very private moment. 

Stepping further away from her mom, she bent and picked up the bag that held her meager belongings and smiled, trying to put on a brave face, “Let’s do this. I’m ready.”

“Are you sure, O,” Bellamy asked worriedly. “We can put this off if you need some more time.”

“No, big brother,” she said, shaking her head. “If I don’t do this now, I never will. I’ve got this. We’ve got this. And it’s not like we won’t see each other every day.”

“You’re right,” he said nodding and stepping away from the door. “I guess, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Octavia walked up to him and wrapped her arms around him. He stood frozen for a moment and then hugged her tightly. To ease the tension, Octavia shoved him and laughed, “Ugh, now I’ve got brother cooties. Gross.”

That made everyone laugh, which is what she wanted. When the laughter had died down, they took their leave. Once she was down the hall, Octavia stopped for a moment and looked back over her shoulder. Neither Bellamy or her mother were watching, but she knew that they were right behind the door to their home.

Wells stopped and saw her looking. Taking a chance, he walked back to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder in comfort. Surprised, she looked over at him but gave him a small smile at his gesture. With a squeeze, Wells let go and they started walking again.

The time spent walking to Aero Station where the Orphan Ward was located, was spent in silence. No one really wanted to talk, each nervous about possibly getting caught. Their nervousness ramped up when they neared it. Their steps faltered and with an unspoken accord, they moved off to an alcove.

Looking at each other, nervous trepidition in their eyes, it was Wells who finally broke the silence, “We’ve got this, guys. The paperwork is legit for a forgery. She’s got the necessary documents and ID. This won’t be a problem.”

A shot of fear ran through Clarke and she looked at Raven, panicking, “We did get the couple’s death certificates, right?”

Raven looked at her wide eyed and opened the folder that held documents. She quickly flipped through the papers until she came to what they needed. Smiling up at Clarke, she said, “Yeah. We got them. I don’t know how, but we do. Including, their arrest records with execution stamped big and proud.”

Clarke and Octavia relaxed slightly as Clarke said, “That was probably Ten’s doing. It’s like her brain sees all these possible problems and then covers all the bases. She’s helped me so much with past problems.”

“Yeah,” Wells chimed in, “You’re real lucky to have her. She makes a good Second.”

Clarke nodded and then turned serious, “Okay. If we’re gonna do this, we gotta do it now. The anticipation is killing me.”

“Agreed,” Octavia said. “If I wait any longer, my legs won’t be able to hold me up. I’m that nervous.”

Everyone took a collective breath, squaring their shoulders and headed back out. Raven handed the folder to Wells since he was going to act like the one escorting Octavia. Clarke and Raven acting as moral support.

Approaching the door, Wells reached out, pressed the intercom before looking back at everyone one more time.

Static insued and then a female voice said, “Can I help you?”

Wells cleared his throat and as authoratively as he could he said, “Yes, Ma’am. This is Wells Jaha and I have a new resident for the Ward.”

There was a long enough pause that made them share a look before a buzzer sounded and the door opened automatically. Stepping through the door, they were assaulted by quiet murmuring coming from a second door. Scanning the room, they saw a middle-aged woman sitting behind a desk looking at them pensively.

“Mr. Jaha, new residents are usually escorted by the guard. Is there a reason why none are present?”

“Yes, Ma’am,” he replied smoothly, stepping closer to the desk. “My father, the Chancellor, felt that I should begin taking some minor responsibility in regards to learning the government side of the Ark. I’m due to begin my apprenticeship in a little over a year and he felt that this would be good practice, Ma’am.”

She sighed heavily before she straightened in her seat, “Do you have the appropriate paperwork.”

He nodded, “Of course,” and held out the folder to her.

She took it and began skimming the papers, occasionally huffing in annoyance. When she got to one, she looked up sharply regarding the four of them before returning to perusing the documents.

Finally, she laid the folder down to look at them, “Everything seems to be in order. Now, which one of you is Octavia Essex?”

Octavia stepped forward nervously and replied, “Um, I am.”

“You’ve been homeschooled since you were five,” she asked.

“Yes, Ma’am. Never seen the inside of a classroom. My parents weren’t big on letting me leave our quarters.”

“They were executed. Is that correct?”

“Yes, Ma’am. Stealing with intent to distribute is what I heard.”

She narrowed her eyes and asked a little harshly, “And you had no knowledge of this?”

Octavia shook her head, “No, Ma’am. We kinda stayed outta each others’ way. Honestly, I think they only had me to get the extra rations.”

The woman’s eyes scanned her and she grunted, “You do seem to be underweight. Very well. If you’ll follow me, we’ll get you situated. Tomorrow morning at 0700, one of the caretakers will go over the rules with you. You’ll be enrolled in the appropriate classes and begin the day after tomorrow.”

“Yes, Ma’am. Thank you,” she said, and everybody visibly relaxed. “Um, would you mind if I said goodbye first.”

She narrowed her eyes and nodded mutely. She was already standing by the doors and they could see she was already showing impatience. They quickly hugged each other and whispered that they’d see each other soon. When they were done, Octavia took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She straightened her shoulders, jutted her chin out, and with one last nod, walked towards the woman. Sparing one last glance to them, she disappeared behind the door.

Raven seemed to deflate as she said, “Well, that went smooth.”

Clarke and Wells nodded, “Yeah it did. Let’s get outta here and head to the Pit.”

The Pit, as they called it was what they had just recently decided to call their training/meeting room. Since Wells was such close friends with Clarke, he was allowed to hang out with them.

“Yeah, the gang is going to want to know how it all went,” Raven said, nodding.

“You guys go ahead,” Wells said. “I’ve still got some homework to finish. Clarke, we’re still on for chess tomorrow after school, right?”

Clarke nodded as they exited the Ward, “Oh, yeah. I’m gonna beat your ass this time.”

He laughed as they headed back towards familiar territory, “You wish. You haven’t beaten me in five years.”

“Then it’s about time I knocked you off your throne, Jaha,” she snarked back.

“We’ll see. We’ll see,” is all that he said.

Raven slung her arm around Clarke’s shoulder, bringing her in to a hug and thought to her, _She’ll be fine, Clarke. She’s tough._

Clarke nodded and laid her head on Raven’s as they continued walking, _Yeah, she is. She’s got this._

As they walked away, Octavia was taking in her new surroundings. She placed her meager belongings in the locker they provided and sat tentatively on her bed. She closed her eyes as tears began to threaten and took a shuddering breath.

_I’ve got this_ , she said to herself. _You’ve got black blood. You’ve got your pack. You’re not alone. You’re strong. You’re tough. This is the beginning of your life._

Opening her eyes, the tears gone, she smiled. Her life was just beginning and she couldn’t wait to conquer it. No more hiding. Her family was safe. She laid back on the bed, her head pillowed by her arms and stared at the ceiling. Life was calling and she was finally answering.


	8. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't think I put this out there, but thanks to the Nightblood, the pack is capable of Mindspeech. So, it'll be in italics when they're speaking to one another that way.

It had been two days since Clarke had last seen Octavia. Sharing a look with Raven, she couldn’t help the shiver that ran down her spine as her nerves took hold of her. No one had heard from Octavia in those two days and as she looked over at Bellamy, she could feel the tension rolling off of him in waves. Clarke worried that the truth had surfaced and all of their hard work hadn’t been enough. She desperately wanted to get up out of her chair and check on Octavia but was stopped when a hand reached out and laid itself gently on her thigh.

She looked over as Ten squeezed her thigh gently before leaning closer and whispering, “She’s fine, Clarke. The head caretaker told you that she’d be coming to class today. She’ll be here.”

“How can you be sure, Ten,” she whispered back hotly. “We haven’t heard from her in two days. Two days!”

“Baby,” Ten said reassuringly and Clarke couldn’t help how her stomach flipped at the term, “they’ve had her busy. Getting her settled into the Ward and testing to see where she is in school. That takes time. Plus, the kids aren’t allowed a lot of freedom outside of mandatory outings. Apprenticeships and such. She’ll be here.”

Clarke swallowed thickly and took in a shuddering breath before she nodded. She leaned closer to Ten and kissed her gently on the cheek before resting her forehead against hers. She felt more than saw Ten smile as she gave another gentle squeeze on her thigh.

“Thank you,” she replied gratefully. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

That sparked a dry chuckle that caused her to back away in surprise. Seeing the smirk on Ten’s face, she immediately wanted to wipe it off but she didn’t. 

“You would find yourself in a lot more trouble because you’d be listening to Bellamy or gods forbid, Raven.”

“Hey, I heard that,” Raven piped up, glaring back at Ten over her shoulder.

Ten’s smirk widened, “I meant for you to, Rae. You’d be getting everyone in trouble with one of your schemes if it wasn’t for me.”

Clarke couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped past her lips, finding herself nodding along in agreement. This made Raven huff and stick out her tongue at both of them.

“See if I ever help you out again,” she replied.

Ten sighed dramatically, “Oh, if only that were true, Rae.”

“Ms. Cartwig,” the teacher spoke up breaking through their conversation. “Is there something you’d like to share with the class?”

“Busted,” Raven snickered as she ducked her head to hide her smirk.

Ten sat up straighter, removing her hand from Clarke’s thigh as she cleared her throat, “No, Ms. Davenport. I was only inquiring as to Raven’s interpretation of Mary Shelley’s mindset when she wrote _Frankenstein_.”

“As fantastic as that is to hear, Ms. Cartwig,” Ms. Davenport spoke evenly. “We are not discussing Ms. Shelley rather her husband.”

Ten nodded sagely, “I understand, but in truth, you cannot speak about one without speaking about the other. Nor can you ignore Lord Byron.”

Ms. Davenport closed her eyes in consternation before she opened them once more and leveled a glare at Ten, “Ms. Cartwig, although I applaud your enthusiasm in going beyond the subject, neither Mary Shelly nor Lord Byron has any relevance in what we are currently discussing in class.”

“My apologies, Ms. Davenport.”

“Apology accepted, Ms. Cartwig,” she replied and then returned to addressing the rest of the class.

Clarke sighed and slouched further into her chair as Ms. Davenport began droning on about Percy Bysshe Shelley and his influence during the Romantic era. She looked over at Ten and fought the laugh that bubbled inside her chest as Ten used her hand like a puppet mimicking the teacher and playfully rolling her eyes.

When Ten saw the mirth in Clarke’s eyes, she stopped and instead propped her head on her hand and thought to her, _There you are, C_.

Clarke couldn’t help the blush and shook her head, smiling, _Thank you, Ten. You always know what to do to make me feel better_.

_What kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn’t? It would also make me a poor Second if I let my pack leader drown in worry. I’m here for you always_.

Clarke’s blush deepened and the flutter in her stomach increased, _You’re too good to me, Ten_.

_Never_.

Before they could continue, there was a knock on the door and ten heads snapped towards it. There was no word for their reaction, but they all knew that someone with black blood was on the other side of that door. Bellamy, Clarke, and Ten sat up rigid with tension as Ms. Davenport opened the door. There were some quiet words spoken and then Ms. Davenport was stepping back and admitting someone in. Leaning forward in anticipation, Clarke sucked her lower lip between her teeth and held her breath until the familiar brunette came into focus. She could have sworn there was a collective sigh of relief when Octavia appeared and looked around. Clarke watched as Octavia’s posture relaxed seeing her friends and happiness shone in her eyes. Ms. Davenport introduced Octavia and then Bellamy shoved a kid out of his seat to free it up for her. There were some words exchanged and apologies given, but soon Octavia was sitting with her pack and everything was right again in the world.

 

That evening Clarke was setting the table for dinner as her father prepared the meal. Clarke’s mother, Abby, hadn’t gotten home yet, but it was only a matter of time. Ever since she had begun studying the eleven children, she had made it a point to always be home for dinner. The better setting to subtly try interrogating her daughter for her research. Little did Abby know that Clarke knew exactly what she was doing and allowed it to continue. 

Abby arrived just as the meal was ready, slumping tiredly into her chair. Clarke and her father exchanged an amused smirk but refrained from making any comments lest they irritate the Alpha. Jake divided up the food on three plates, handing them to Clarke to set on the table. Once everything was placed, Jake and Clarke joined Abby and began eating.  
Once a few bites had been eaten and hunger was slowly starting to abate did anyone venture to break the silence with voice.

“So, how was your day, Princess,” her father asked, smiling happily at her.

Clarke shrugged, “It was the usual. Ten got caught teasing Rae by Ms. Davenport, but she played it off and stayed out of trouble.”

“Oh,” Abby said, perking up. “How so?”

Clarke shrugged again, hiding a smile behind her glass. When she set the glass down, she answered, “Well, the discussion was on the Romantic poets, specifically Percy Shelley. Anyway, Ten played it off by saying that she was asking Raven about her thoughts on Frankenstein. Ms. Davenport said that while it was nice to see her delving into that subject, it wasn’t relevant to the current discussion. Ten then said that you can’t talk about one Shelley without talking about the other. Nor can you not also talk about Lord Byron.”

“And what did Ms. Davenport have to say about that,” Jake inquired.

Clarke snorted, smiling, “Well, Ms. Davenport didn’t like that Ten was showing off, but didn’t say anything except to remind her to stay on topic. Of course, Ten apologized for the tangent and everything went back to normal.”

“My,” Abby gushed, “Ten certainly has a wealth of knowledge, doesn’t she?”

“I guess. It’s worse when Bellamy and her both start discussing literature or mythology. They could go on and on for hours if we let them.”

“But Ten can do that with any subject that’s brought to attention, can’t she,” Abby dug deeper.

Clarke nodded in agreement, “Oh, of course. Bring up something that she knows and she’ll talk about it until she runs out of information. Then she’ll delve for more if there’s enough interest to do so. She’s like an encyclopedia of information. I’ve even caught her tinkering alongside Raven when the mood’s struck her.”

“Why do you think that is?”

Clarke scrunched her face in confusion, “What do you mean, Mom?”

“Well,” Abby edged carefully around the subject, “why do you think she wants to know so much?”

Clarke caught on to what her mother was implying, smiling inwardly, “It’s just the way she is, Mom. She likes to know everything. The more she knows, the more she can help others. She likes helping people out.”

Clarke could tell that Abby didn’t like the answer she gave. It was too vague and didn’t outright proclaim Ten as Second in the pack. The pack knew that Clarke was in charge and that Ten was her Second, but they weren’t going to share that information outside of the pack. It was their way of keeping each other safe, especially from the Council. The pack had, on their own, decided that keeping where everyone stood within the pack outside public knowledge. Once everyone had presented, their hierarchy would be more cemented and things would fall into place more permanently. The only two that stood out from everyone were Ten and Clarke which was inevitable and unavoidable. They stood out no matter who they were with. Be it within their own pack or their classmates or among the residents of the Ark. They stood out.

“So, was that the only thing interesting that happened today,” Jake asked, drawing Clarke’s attention back to the present.

“Um, no, not exactly,” Clarke replied, playing with the food on her plate. She suddenly felt a little nervous about outing Octavia to her parents, especially her mother.

Abby picked up on her reticence, “Oh, really? What else happened?”

“We got a new girl in class,” Clarke answered, still feeling reluctant. “She showed up shortly after Ten’s conversation with Ms. Davenport.”

That perked up her parents. It was extremely rare that an unknown child was suddenly introduced into an established class.

Abby couldn’t help but lean forward, “A new girl? How is that possible?”

Clarke took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and dived into the revelation, “Um, yeah. Octavia. She had been homeschooled until just recently. Today was her first day in a classroom. Really, it was her first day dealing with people her own age.”

“I hope you made her feel welcomed,” her dad said, looking at her sternly.

Clarke shot up straight in her chair and gave him a smile, “Of course, I did. We all did…well, most of us. Anyway, Ten and I invited her to meet everyone in our group during lunch. She’s nice but shy. Kinda has an attitude, though.”

“And your friends had no qualms with her,” Abby asked almost eagerly.

Clarke bit back the laugh that was threatening to escape at her mother’s poorly disguised eagerness, “Nope. They all welcomed her with open arms. Bellamy even got a little protective of her when Atom tried to flirt with her.”

“So, she’s pretty,” Jake teased.

Clarke chuckled, “I guess so. I think he was only flirting with her because she’s new.”

Jake laughed, “I get it. You’ve only got eyes for Tennyson, don’t you?”

Clarke blushed and ducked her head, “Nooo…that’s not…urgh…Dad. Ugh. You’re horrible.”

“I’m only teasing, daughter of mine. I’m glad you and your friends are welcoming her into your group. You guys are pretty selective who you let in.”

Clarke huffed, leaning back to cross her arms, “We’re not picky, Dad.”

“Of course, you’re not, sweetheart,” Abby interjected, trying to placate her daughter. “It sounds like you and your friends are very considerate of the new girl.”

Clarke nodded and relaxed, “Yeah, we are. She’s not used to being around people, so we want to make her feel welcome and safe.”

“Not used to being around people?”

“Um, from what she told us, her parents hardly let her out of their quarters. Insisted on homeschooling her. Almost made me think that they were ashamed of her or something.”

Jake looked horrified, “That’s not right. Poor girl. So, she’s no longer living with her parents?”

Clarke shook her head, “No. Um, she’s living in the Orphan Ward now. She’s okay with it, but it makes her uncomfortable.”

Jake nodded sympathetically, “I can see how that would make her feel like that. To go from just having her parents around to suddenly being surrounded by people. Kids older and younger than her invading her space. But, with you and your friends, I’m sure she’ll be able to overcome that.”

Clarke nodded, “That’s the plan. Like I said, she’s really nice.”

“That’s good,” Abby hummed in agreement, her mind already buzzing that she had been led to another child with the serum running through their veins. “And you said the girl’s name is Octavia?”

Clarke nodded, finishing off her dinner, “Yep. Octavia Essex, I think. We weren’t trying to bombard her with a lot of questions today. Since it was her first day and all. Ten and I were thinking of inviting her to our afternoon training session tomorrow. Let her hang out with us afterward and see if she needs any help catching up with school work.”

Abby beamed, that was exactly what she wanted to hear. Clarke once more hid a smile at her mom’s reaction and Jake ruffled the hair on her head. Clarke’s plan of piquing her mom’s interest had worked and she knew that the information would be gathered and collated with the rest. That is, once Abby delved into the medical records and found the ones planted. Octavia was now out in the open and that meant that the Blake’s were safe for the rest of their lives.

Today had been a good day.


	9. Chapter 8

It had been three months since Octavia had been outed to the Ark. In that time, no one had become wiser to their planted documents or remarked that Bellamy and Octavia shared similar features. Their plan had worked and the pack began to relax as all twelve were now able to move about with relative freedom. Octavia had taken her new found freedom and poured it into her studies and training. Determined to catch up and pass her fellow packmates, excluding Charlotte. That of course, pushed Charlotte to work harder because she was going to damned if she was left behind. 

It was a source of entertainment for the rest of the group watching the two compete and push each other outside of their limits. Today was a free day in the Pit. None of the trainers were present and they decided to have a competition. This was something they did every once in a while and gave the winner bragging rights and first choice on what the group would do for the next two free days.

The reigning champ since the inception of the competition was Tennyson. She had won so many times that they instituted a new rule; Tennyson couldn’t compete unless she was directly challenged. As much as she wanted to complain, it was only fair and the pack was all about fair play. Miller may have been the one chosen as their self-designated trainer, and he may be good, but his skills were nothing compared to Ten’s. Like with all things, Ten learned and worked until she mastered every skill their trainers were willing to impart with. It was a part of who she was. What she was.

So, today she was lounging on the couch reading Don Quixote in Spanish as a challenge to herself while the others drew straws to see who would compete against who. She glanced up when Octavia’s laugh echoed through the space.

“You’re going down, Goggles,” Octavia laughed as Jasper whined and looked over at Clarke pouting.

“Clarke, do I have to fight her,” he whined. “She’s mean when she spars.”

Clarke just raised an eyebrow, “You know the rules, Jas. Whoever draws the same straws spar one another. No trading. No forfeiting. Come on, you’ve got years on her. Use what you have.”

“But—”

“No, buts, Jasper,” Tennyson called over. “You agreed to the rules, just like Clarke and I did. Why do you think I’m over here trying to entertain myself?”

“Because you’d wipe the floor with all of us,” he pointed out.

Ten smirked, “Exactly. Now, stop you’re whining or I’ll fine something for you to really complan about and you’ll still have to spar with Octavia. Understand me?”

He bowed his head in defeat and replied sullenly, “Yes, Tennyson.”

“Good. Now, if you all are done, get to sparring,” she said and turned her attention back to her book.

Clarke clapped her hands, “You heard her. First up is Charlotte versus Harper. May the better blonde win.”

Charlotte and Harper walked into the middle of the mats and shook hands, giving each other the evil eye and slashing their thumbs across their throats in playful threats. Miller waited until they gave him a nod and started the match. Harper may have had three years on the younger blonde, but Charlotte used her smaller size to her advantage. In a surprise move, Harper threw a punch which Charlotte caught and using their momentum threw her over her shoulder. Harper landed with a thud and without releasing her arm, Charlotte twisted around in a grappling move that left Harper painfully tapping out. 

Charlotte released her hold immediately and helped Harper up. They hugged before leaving the mat. Harper walked over to the lounge area, sweating and red in the face, massaging her shoulder before flopping down to watch the next competition.

Next up was Miller versus Bellamy. The match lasted a good ten minutes and Bellamy put up a good effort, but in the end, Miller won. The matches went on and on until it was time for the winner to face Monroe, who happened to be the odd man out this time around.

The winner was Octavia. The match between Octavia and Monroe lasted neary thirty minutes. Each girl had snaked out of tight holds and barely countered moves making the rest of the pack cheer them on in an increasing volume. Even Tennyson was drawn to the match. In the end, Octavia won with a series of kicks that had Monroe flying a couple of feet to land on her back breathless.

Clarke got up quickly to check on Monroe as Octavia bounced around gleefully. Monroe luckily only had the breath knocked out of her and when Clarke helped her to stand, she went over to Octavia and gave her a high-five on the win.

Once Clarke made sure that Monroe was seated and breathing regularly, she went back over to Octavia and with a smirk, “Congrats, O. I think I can safely say that we’re all impressed with how far you’ve come in the last three months.”

Octavia blushed, but she was still high on adrenaline, “Thanks, Clarke. But I’m not done yet.”

“Oh, really,” Clarke replied and crossed her arms in amusement. “Pray tell us, what’s next?”

“I challenge Tennyson,” she said with a smirk.

Clarke shared a surprised look with Tennyson, “You do know that if you lose, you lose bragging rights and choosing what we do on our free days, right?”

Octavia nodded but with a new look of determination on her face, “I know. This is for me. I _need_ to know where I stand.”

Tennyson got up and started to stretch, “Alright, O. I’ll give you what you want. Just remember, you’ve gone through five rounds and you went pretty hard to beat Monroe. I’m still fresh.”

Octavia nodded again, “Yeah, but I’m good to go. I swear.”

“So be it,” Ten said and walked to the middle of the mat. “Nate, will you do the honors?”

“Of course,” he said as he walked over. “Ready?” They both gave him a nod. “And…go!”

They began circling each other, their eyes roaming and looking for weaknesses. Ten noted that Octavia was favoring her right side and that she was moving slower, like her left leg was bothering her slightly. She noted the weaknesses plus the fact that the younger brunette was sweating. Octavia on the other hand, couldn’t detect any weaknesses in Ten’s movements for her to exploit. That annoyed her. It also annoyed her that it looked like Ten wouldn’t be making the first move.

So, with a low growl, Octavia closed in and feinted a jab to Ten’s left side, but instead of dropping her guard slightly, Ten just stepped back and blocked Octavia’s low kick before countering it with a kick to her hip. Octavia grunted from the impact. 

Ten followed with a quick feint to Octavia’s face which caused her to raise her fists higher leaving her midsection exposed slightly. Taking advantage of the move, Ten punched her in the stomach and hooked her leg behind Octavia’s ankle throwing the girl off balance. Ten followed through by pushing on her chest and forcing the girl to the ground. 

Octavia grabbed Ten’s wrist wrapped her flailing legs around Ten’s waist, pulling her down with her. Ten grunted at the impact, her elbow bending unpleasantly before using Octavia’s hold to bring her close and immobilizing her arms. She rolled them until she was on top and lifted Octavia off the mat slightly before slamming her back down. 

Octavia gasped for air but refused to relinquish her hold on Ten’s waist. Instead, she squeezed tighter making Ten grunt and snarl slightly in discomfort. Straightening until she was upright on her knees and Octavia flushed to her front, she slammed back down again.

Octavia closed her eyes at the impact, her vision swimming slightly as all the air in her lungs left explosively. Before she could bring a full breath in, she felt Ten’s weight settle fully on her with a weight on her throat. Her eyes flew open as she struggled to bring a breath in and Ten’s face was inches from her own. 

“Yield, Octavia,” Ten growled out.

Octavia’s mouth opened and closed as she continued to try and suck in breath until she could growl out, “No.”

Ten huffed out in irritation, “Yield before you pass out, O. Be smart.”

Octavia struggled under the weight to free her arms, but all she did was tire herself out even more and slowly her movements became sluggish. Her vision was becoming spotted with black dots swimming around, but she refused to quit. It wasn’t until Ten saw her eyes fluttering close and her legs loosened that she relinquished her hold on Octavia’s throat. Ten shoved her legs off her as Octavia lay their coughing and gasping as air was finally being brought into her lungs.

When she could finally focus on something besides breathing, she found Ten and Clarke kneeling on either side of her wearing identical looks of concern. 

“I’m fine,” Octavia choked out and shoved them back weakly.

“You’re not fine, O,” Clarke admonished her. “That was really stupid. You could’ve really hurt yourself. It’s bad enough that you’re gonna have a bruise on your throat for a good week. What were you thinking?”

“I could’ve gotten out of Ten’s hold,” she growled as she sat up. “I just needed a few more seconds.”

Ten rolled her eyes, “Tavi, I had my whole weight on you and your arms pinned between us. You were already tired, sore, and I’d knocked the wind out of you twice. I applied pressure to your throat before you could get your breath back. Your only chance would have been to try and headbutt me, but instead you further weakened yourself by trying to free your arms. There was no way.”

“I just needed a few more seconds,” she reiterated.

“You didn’t have a few more seconds,” she scolded gently. “Sometimes the best strategy is to know when to stop. Why did you want to challenge me?”

Octavia looked between the two of them and shook her head, “You wouldn’t understand.”

“Try us,” Clarke said gently, sitting more comfortably.

“It’s the Ward,” she finally relented. “I constantly have to prove that I’m not a pushover with the older kids. They’re always trying to prove their dominance. Especially, the Alphas.”

Ten narrowed her eyes in thought, “The ones that are already in apprenticeship programs? The sixteen and seventeen-year olds?”

Octavia nodded, “Yeah, them. It’s mostly at night when the caretakers aren’t really paying attention. Nothing overt, but it’s wearing on me.”

“So, you thought that if you could take me, that would what? Prove that you’re stronger than they are?”

She shrugged, “I don’t know. Maybe?”

Ten sighed heavily and leaned back on heels and looked at Clarke, “Maybe we should talk to our parents, Clarke. See if maybe they would be willing to petition to adopt Octavia. I’m sure my mom would be willing, but she’d need the backing of a Council member.”

Clarke thought about it, “And you think that since Mom knows about our blood and a Council member, she’d back a petition. Maybe put in her own petition?”

She shrugged, “Possibly. We stress how uncomfortable Octavia is in the Ward, how the presented are treating the younger kids, and how well she’s doing in school and training. Maybe tell them that she’s starting to have anger issues because of what’s going on in the Ward.”

“Hey, I’m right here,” Octavia interjected hotly. “And I don’t have anger issues.”

Ten snorted in amusement, “Octavia, yes you do. You constantly let your emotions control your matches. You got impatient during our match and struck first. You got frustrated and angry when I had the upperhand. You were cocky and overconfident. Need I go on?”

Octavia flopped back and groaned at the truth of what Ten was saying, “I hate you.”

Clarke and Ten chuckled, “No, you don’t. You’re ruled by your emotions, Tavi. You just need to learn how to not let them. That’s one thing you and Bellamy struggle with. Too much heart without enough head.”

“Do you think if I was out of the Ward that would help?”

Clarke shrugged, “It couldn’t hurt. One less stressor is a good thing, but it’s only if we talk to our parents about it.”

“Why not see if I could move back in with Mom and Bellamy? Have her send in a petition.”

“It would get rejected,” she replied, apologetically. “She’s a seamstress and an Omega, O. An unmated Omega, at that. As much as the Council seems to think that the only thing Omegas are good for are servicing Alphas and raising a pup, she’s not in a position that will be viewed favorably. I’m sorry.”

Octavia let out a growl in anger, “It’s not fair how they treat Omegas, Clarke. You know my mom. She’s overworked and given such meager rations that she’s barely surviving.”

“We know,” Ten replied gently. “And when it comes time, we’ll change that. Right now, you have to worry about yourself. If you don’t get a handle on your anger, you could end up in Lockup. Regardless, of your blood. We can’t afford for that to happen to you. One possible answer is to see if our parents are open to the idea of petitioning for adoption. Both of our parents are influential and we can take advantage of that. Another answer is that I start working with you on meditation techniques and finding a better outlet for your anger besides sparring. You’ll end up hurt if you continue to spar the way you are. The last answer is to drop this discussion and let you continue the way it’s going. That choice will lead you to making a mistake in front of the wrong people and you’ll end up in Lockup.”

Octavia sighed, sat up and looked at them, “Those are my only choices?” Clarke and Ten nodded. “Let’s try the mediation and finding something else to let out my pent up frustration first. If it doesn’t work, I guess you can ask your parents.”

Ten nodded, “Alright. Then starting tomorrow morning, meet me at my place two hours before breakfast. Mom and I usually do a round of meditation and Tai Chi to start the day. You can join us.”

“Okay. Thank you guys for not making a big deal out of this,” she relented.

“It’s what we’re here for, Octavia,” Clarke said, smiling and squeezing her shoulder in support. “We’re a pack. A family and we help each other out. You should have come to us sooner with this. You don’t need to fight Ten to prove that you’re a badass.”

“Yeah,” Ten replied, smirking. “We already know you’re one. Feeling better?”

Octavia nodded, “Yeah, but my throat is going to hurt tomorrow.”

“You’re also going to feel all those bruises tomorrow, too,” Ten said, standing up and holding out a hand. Octavia took the proffered help as she continued, “You should’ve just taken the bragging rights and choices. Now, I get to have my fun.”

Clarke groaned as she stood up too, “Oh, god, you’re going to make it something educational, aren’t you?”

Ten laughed and hugged Clarke close to her, “Maybe. Or maybe I’ll send everyone out of the Pit and it’ll just be you and me.”

Clarke brightened up at the thought and leaned up to kiss her chastely on the lips, “I like that idea even better.”

“Yeah, you need to work on your guard. You keep opening yourself up,” she teased the blonde.

Clarke growled playfully and smacked Ten on the stomach, “You ass. See if I let you cuddle with me during movie night.”

Ten smirked as they joined the rest of the pack, “You like cuddling up with me. You’d be punishing yourself.”

She harrumphed and leaned into her more, “I hate that you’re right.”

“I know,” she said and kissed her on top her her head.


End file.
